‘King of Paris’ Neymar May Cause Players Rebellion in PSG

The egotistical
behaviour of the world's most expensive player has become a concern in Paris
and has not gone down well with some of his team-mates

Paris Saint-Germain
may be soaring at the top of Ligue 1 and cruising through to the knockout
stages of the Champions League, having easily dispatched Bayern Munich,
Anderlecht and Celtic to date, but all is not what it seems at Parc des
Princes.

Behind closed doors,
there are problems and at the centre of the tempest is the world’s most
expensive player.

Neymar, signed from
Barcelona when the French giants triggered his €222 million release clause in
the summer, is the centrepiece of the capital side’s latest attempt to finally
claim the Champions League.

On the field, there
have apparently been few issues with his integration into the squad. He has
scored 10 times in 11 outings, becoming the superstar leader that PSG hoped he
would prove, living up to his billing as the third best player in the world -
an accolade given to him at the Best FIFA Awards in last week.

But while his
performances have not been affected by the pressure of being the most expensive
player of all time, in the dressing room, some of his team-mates have been far
less enthused by the Brazilian’s aloof attitude.

Former PSG sporting
director Leonardo described the 25-year-old as “charismatic and impertinent”
in Le Journal Du Dimanche and sent a warning to both the
forward and the club.

“He can never feel
bigger than the institution,” he said. “Never, even if he’s the best in the
world. PSG must be more important than Neymar, it’s essential. Otherwise, we
won’t see the best Neymar.”

The trouble is, Neymar
does feel bigger than PSG, having been promised kingly status when he arrived.
Only once has this truly manifested itself on the field, yet when it did, the
world’s attention was caught.

PSG were scoreless in
a Ligue 1 match against Lyon when Dani Alves pinched the ball from Edinson
Cavani as he lined up to take a free-kick, instead presenting it to Neymar.
When the Uruguayan wrestled a penalty away from his team-mate subsequently, it
left Neymar stunned.

Given the hype
surrounding Neymar’s arrival in Paris this summer, it was little surprise that
images of the incidents went viral, generating a kind of hype that the club did
not want.

In an attempt to
defuse the situation, Cavani was reportedly offered €1m by the club to allow
Neymar to take all the penalties. He flatly refused. Neymar was further
incensed.

As a veteran of four
years at PSG and a vice-captain of the squad, Cavani is a highly respected
figure in the dressing room and the way in which he was treated by Neymar did
not go down

well, particularly
among a string of fringe players whose game time has been cut by the Selecao
striker's arrival.

Alves did his best to
make amends for the incident by organising a dinner for the entire squad yet,
as El Pais reported, the atmosphere was like “a funeral”.

This very public
challenge of Neymar’s status as king of the club continues to resonate in the
dressing room today.

On the training
ground, the player’s attitude has been questionable. Last week, for example, he
spent much of one session simply trying to nutmeg his opponents while he also
disrupted running drills.

The cause of his discontent
may be generated by Neymar believing he deserves more respect from the squad
than he has received. Both the fans and club are treating him in the lavish
manner he expects, but that is not the case with his team-mates.

He arrived at PSG to
be worshipped in the way that Lionel Messi is at Barcelona, but he has
discovered that simply being the most expensive player in the world does not
earn respect among a tight-knit squad.

“Neymar grew up in
Barcelona with Messi as a role model in the last four seasons,” a source close
to the dressing room told Le Parisien . “So he thinks it’s
normal to have the same rights now he’s in Paris. He’s forgotten the team has a
history without him.”

When, for example,
Thiago Motta and Thiago Silva tried to talk him down from his pedestal, El
Pais reports that he acted with “a distracted air”.

attitude towards coach
Unai Emery is little better. In a report from Le Parisienlast week,
it was revealed the former Sevilla coach has no control over the Brazilian, who
is said to pay little attention to what the boss tells him.

Meanwhile, the club,
who need him as their spearhead on the field and in the media, have been forced
to indulge him, heightening tensions and simply feeding the monster.

When PSG signed Neymar
and were threatened by Financial Fair Play (FFP) sanctions from UEFA, they were
ready for a summer fire-sale. The agents of many members of the squad were
contacted and asked if their clients would be willing to consider transfers.
Only Blaise Matuidi, who was hurt by the actions of the club, did so, leaving
for Juventus.

Now the club had
played their hand, they had to backtrack significantly to welcome the likes of
Angel Di Maria, Thomas Meunier and Julian Draxler back into the squad.

When some of these
players saw Neymar’s behaviour, they were left to question why PSG were so
ready to dump them for someone so content to act as a brat. As a result, his
relationship with a number of members of the squad has been described by close
sources as strained to say the least.

He is, therefore, at a
key turning point in his career. Does he change his behaviour to become the
best player in the world or is he content to keep behaving as if he is superior
to everyone else at the club?

Neymar’s answer will
be vital for his own future, but also that of PSG.